He didn't see any real playing time until mid-season but played very well in limited action. Once injuries began to take a toll on our LB corp. and Mercilus seemed to have a better grasp of the system he saw more action. I think he'll be next years starter at WOLB and while he finished this year with 6 sacks in limited action, I think he can be a 10+ sack player. I'm glad to see that our overall team talent level has risen to the point that we can let a 1st round pick sit and learn for a while before seeing the field. In years past that wasn't possible.

He was "ok" as a rookie IMO, but played pretty well when he replaced Reed in the lineup. He had a better season than Reed did IMO. If he starts for us next season there is no doubt he can be a 10+ sack guy and force some fumbles. He is still learning how to play a 3/4 DE._________________

The Texansí first-rounder was eased into the action this season, as he didnít play more than 17 snaps in a game until he played 71 in Week 12. Heís started the past four games, and despite the six sacks on the season, he has not been an effective pass rusher. Heís grading at -9.7 for the season with a Pass Rush Productivity (PRP) of 6.9 that ranks 24th out of the top 33 qualifiers among 3-4 outside linebackers. Heís fared better as a run defender, grading at +1.1 with six run stops. The Texans continue to search for an edge rusher to complement DE J.J. Watt.

I like to focus on the positives here. This was his first time playing 3-4 OLB and it was against NFL competition, and he broke the Texans rookie sack record.. His relentless playing style fits into our rush quite nicely. I expect him to take a big step next year. If we're able to retain Barwin and Quin, I think next year's defense will be the best in Texans history._________________

Despite what the advanced stats show, it's hard to argue with with a guy who was the third-leading sack-getter on the team despite being on the field SIGNIFICANTLY less than every other guy in the front 7. I'd say he demonstrated promising prowess as a pass-rusher but the run game suffered heavily when he was on the field.

I think if he can develop an all-around game, he could make Barwin ultimately expendable -- which isn't what I want, but Reed has clearly emerged as the most capable OLB on the team._________________

Despite what the advanced stats show, it's hard to argue with with a guy who was the third-leading sack-getter on the team despite being on the field SIGNIFICANTLY less than every other guy in the front 7. I'd say he demonstrated promising prowess as a pass-rusher but the run game suffered heavily when he was on the field.

I think if he can develop an all-around game, he could make Barwin ultimately expendable -- which isn't what I want, but Reed has clearly emerged as the most capable OLB on the team.

Barwin's already expendable. If he doesn't play like complete butt this season our defense is still top 5. How on earth you only get 2 sacks in a 16 game season is beyond me. At least with Brooks Reed he actually gets some hurries and is a monster in the run game.

Looks like its turning out to be a good pick. Guy is still kind of raw, but if you can get that sort of production while still very unrefined...imagine what he can do when the light bulb "turns on" for him.

Going into this, we knew he was a project. Wade Phillips is really spoonfeeding him the assignments, and he's taking to them well. I still see him as a bit of a liability against the run, but when he's asked to pin his ears back and get to the QB, he's up there with the best of 'em on this roster.

2-3 years from now, I see a Watt/Mercilius tandem on the weak side akin to what Justin Smith and Aldon Smith do. Fast, disruptive players who are impossible to block 1-on-1, but placed close together to where you HAVE to give one of 'em a 1-on-1 matchup._________________

I would say they're best across from each other. Reed is the more complete OLB and better suited as the SOLB that drops back into coverage more. Mercilus is more of a pure pass rusher who is still getting used to playing standing up._________________

I thought that Mercilus was fairly promising as a rookie. While he is/was a fairly raw prospect for a 3/4 OLB role, I thought by the time he was eased into the rotations he was decent as a rookie. I'll say that in comparing him to other Texans first rounders, his rookie season certainly wasn't the disaster that Duane Brown or Kareem Jackson's were. I think if he can show improvement in 2013 he could be a real player and yet another threat that opposing offenses will have to account for.

I thought that Mercilus was fairly promising as a rookie. While he is/was a fairly raw prospect for a 3/4 OLB role, I thought by the time he was eased into the rotations he was decent as a rookie. I'll say that in comparing him to other Texans first rounders, his rookie season certainly wasn't the disaster that Duane Brown or Kareem Jackson's were. I think if he can show improvement in 2013 he could be a real player and yet another threat that opposing offenses will have to account for.

I see no reason we can't expect a Barwin-esque development from year 1 to year 2 (Even if Barwin had a season off to watch/learn). Barwin went from a situational pass rusher as a rookie, to complimentary SLB role for 5 games before Mario got hurt, then took over the most important role in the defense as WLB the remainder of 2011 (with production from 3.5 sacks to 11.5 & 47 tackles). Last year he was asked to do MORE as a LB with run and coverage responsibilities and less from a pass rush standpoint. I would expect the WLB job description to revert to the Mario/Ware design but still subservient to Watt's priority in choosing gaps. I don't see Mercilus ever quite evolving to a Barwin type OLB who was counted on to be a primary run stopper as well, but I also think we saw with Barwin that adding too much onto the plate of LBs diminishes the overall pass rush effectiveness. Part of me wants to see whether Braman is ready to step up as a #3 OLB role to take up some of the running situation snaps Barwin usually took, but I doubt we put all of our eggs in Braman's basket. I'd bet we address OLB in the first 4 picks with either a traditional 4-3 coverage type LB or run stopping 4-3 DE type to fill in some gaps in Mercilus game and insure against a Reed injury which would really kill us this year (still shocked last year wasn't a season ender)._________________